In a move that has sent ripples through the global logistics industry, Dubai announced sweeping leadership changes at DP World, one of the world’s largest port operators, following the public revelation of an intimate, yearslong relationship between its former chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The news, delivered by Dubai’s Government Media Office on February 13, 2026, comes after a series of explosive disclosures in recently unsealed U.S. Department of Justice files that detailed thousands of exchanges between bin Sulayem and Epstein—exchanges that, while not implicating bin Sulayem in criminal activity, have nevertheless raised serious questions about business ethics and global reputational risk.
Essa Kazim, formerly the governor of Dubai’s International Financial Centre, was appointed chairman of DP World’s board of directors, and Yuvraj Narayan, the company’s long-serving deputy CEO and CFO, took over as group chief executive officer. Both men step into roles previously held by bin Sulayem, who resigned effective immediately. The announcement also included the appointment of a new head for Dubai’s Ports Customs and Free Zone Corporation, another position bin Sulayem once held, according to the state-run WAM news agency.
DP World’s statement, which did not mention bin Sulayem by name, emphasized that the new appointments were aimed at supporting the company’s strategy for sustainable growth and reinforcing Dubai’s status as a global logistics hub. Yet, the timing left little doubt about the underlying cause: mounting international pressure after the release of emails and documents detailing a close, sometimes explicit, friendship between bin Sulayem and Epstein. According to AP, the emails—spanning from at least 2009 to 2017—contained references to pornography, sexual massages, escort services, and even discussions about world leaders such as Donald Trump and Steve Bannon.
Bin Sulayem’s sudden exit marks the end of a remarkable era. As chairman since 2007 and CEO since 2016, he was instrumental in transforming Dubai’s Jebel Ali port into a premier global shipping hub and expanding DP World into an international powerhouse, now operating in more than 80 countries and handling roughly a tenth of the world’s container trade. He also played a pivotal role in Dubai’s economic rise, leading projects such as Nakheel Properties—the developer behind the city’s iconic palm-shaped islands—before being replaced amid board restructuring following the 2008 financial crisis.
But it was the content of the newly released DOJ files that proved too much for international partners to ignore. The documents, as reported by CNN, show Epstein describing bin Sulayem as “one of my most trusted friends in every sense of the word.” The correspondence is replete with misogynistic comments, sexually explicit jokes, and business proposals. In one 2013 email, Epstein wrote, “you are one of my most trusted friends in very sense of the word, you have never let me down.” Bin Sulayem replied, “Thank you my friend I am off the sample a fresh 100% female Russian at my yacht.”
The relationship, which continued well after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, included discussions about arranging meetings with world leaders. Bin Sulayem sought Epstein’s advice on financing a major DP World project in London, forwarding a letter to then-British Secretary of State Peter Mandelson in 2009, to which Epstein responded with suggested edits. According to CNN, Epstein also helped broker introductions between bin Sulayem and Israeli officials, including then-Defense Minister Ehud Barak, years before the Abraham Accords normalized relations between the UAE and Israel.
One particularly troubling exchange, now under scrutiny in the U.S. Congress, involved Epstein referencing a “torture video” in a 2009 email to a recipient later identified as “a Sultan.” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche linked the message to bin Sulayem, although the nature of the video remains unclear. Still, authorities and partners alike have repeatedly emphasized that bin Sulayem has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing and that appearing in the Epstein files is not, in itself, evidence of illegal activity.
Despite this, the reputational fallout was swift and severe. Canada’s La Caisse pension fund, which has invested more than $5 billion alongside DP World over the past decade, announced it would pause all additional investments with the company. “It is important to distinguish the company, DP World, from the individual, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who is the focus of the current situation,” La Caisse said in a statement to CNBC. “We have made it clear to the company that we expect it to shed light on the situation and take the necessary actions.” British International Investment, another major partner, also halted new deals pending DP World’s response.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s files also reveal that bin Sulayem and Epstein’s communications often veered into the personal and explicit. On several occasions, bin Sulayem sent links to pornography and recounted sexual encounters, sometimes while on family vacations. In 2015, he wrote to Epstein about a “girl” he knew from an American university in Dubai, boasting, “The best sex I ever had amazing body.” In another message, he appeared to facilitate training for Epstein’s “personal masseuse,” a Russian national, at a hotel resort in Antalya, Turkey.
Bin Sulayem’s proximity to the global elite was also on display. He appeared publicly with Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and U.S. President Donald Trump, and attended the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026. He was a regular presence at high-profile events such as the DP World Tour Championship golf tournament in Dubai. Epstein, ever the networker, introduced bin Sulayem to key figures in business and technology, including Joichi Ito, the former head of the MIT Media Lab. “Joi, is the most connected to the tech world person in the states. He runs the MIT media lab, he is one of us,” Epstein wrote in a 2013 email to bin Sulayem. Bin Sulayem replied, “I look forward to meet him I will take good care of him.”
The leadership shakeup at DP World underscores the growing sensitivity of global corporations to reputational risk, especially when it comes to associations with figures as notorious as Epstein. While bin Sulayem’s legacy as a builder of modern Dubai is undeniable, his personal entanglements have cast a shadow over both his career and the company he helped make a global giant. As DP World moves forward under new leadership, the world will be watching to see how it navigates the delicate balance between growth, transparency, and the demands of an increasingly vigilant international business community.
For Dubai, and for DP World, the episode is a stark reminder that in today’s interconnected world, the private actions of public figures can have consequences reaching far beyond boardrooms and balance sheets.